User:LiliannaPucek/Labyrinth (1986 soundtrack)

Labyrinth is a soundtrack album by David Bowie and composer Trevor Jones, released in 1986 for the film Labyrinth. It was the second of three soundtrack releases in which Bowie had a major role, following Christiane F. (1981) and preceding The Buddha of Suburbia (1993). The soundtrack album features Jones' score, which is split into six tracks for the soundtrack: "Into the Labyrinth", "Sarah", "Hallucination", "The Goblin Battle", "Thirteen O'Clock", and "Home at Last".

Background
Director Jim Henson approached Bowie to take part in the film in 1983 during Bowie's Serious Moonlight Tour, when he showed Bowie early designs for the movie and a tape of The Dark Crystal (1982). Bowie had wanted to make music for a children's film and saw this as his chance. Bowie recorded five songs for the film: "Underground", "Magic Dance", "Chilly Down", "As the World Falls Down", and "Within You". The film's theme song, "Underground", features on the soundtrack twice, first in an edited version that was played over the film's opening sequence and secondly in full. The only song Bowie did not the perform lead vocals on is "Chilly Down", which was performed by Charles Augins, Richard Bodkin, Kevin Clash, and Danny John-Jules, the actors who voiced the 'Fire Gang' creatures in the film.

Release
The soundtrack album was released in July 1986 to coincide with the film's US premiere. "Underground" was released in various territories as a single in June 1986, and in certain markets was also released in an instrumental version and an extended dance mix. In January 1987 "Magic Dance" was released as a 12" single in limited markets, including the US. "As the World Falls Down" was initially slated for release as a follow-up single to "Underground" at Christmas in 1986, but this plan did not materialize.

In 2017, the album was remastered and reissued on vinyl by Capitol Records, with a replication of the original jacket and artwork, including the original release's EMI America logo and inner sleeve featuring photos of Bowie from the film. A second pressing the same year also included limited runs of green and lavender coloured vinyl.

Promotion
The soundtrack was advertised in music trade papers such as Billboard. Steve Barron produced promotional music videos for "Underground" and "As the World Falls Down". The music video for "Underground" features Bowie as a nightclub singer who stumbles upon the world of the Labyrinth, encountering many of the creatures seen in the film. The clip for "As the World Falls Down" integrates clips from the film, using them alongside black-and-white shots of Bowie performing the song in an elegant room.

Though Bowie was not heavily involved in promoting Labyrinth, Jim Henson was nonetheless grateful that he had made the promotional music videos, saying, "I think it's the best thing he could have done for the film." Barron's videos for "As the World Falls Down" and "Underground" so impressed Henson that he recruited Barron to direct his television series The StoryTeller.

Critical reception
Upon release in 1986, Labyrinth reached #68 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and #38 on the United Kingdom's Official Albums Chart. The album re-entered the Official Albums Chart in 2017, peaking at #58. According to biographer David Buckley in 2015, the Labyrinth soundtrack was Bowie's third-best selling iTunes album in the United Kingdom.

Adam Trainer in Senses of Cinema described Bowie's five songs as "spirited and imaginative ... presenting satisfying melodies and singalong choruses" such as that of "Magic Dance". However, while writing that the songs work well within the context of the film, "echoing its plotline and themes such as imagination, fun and fantasy", Trainer considered the songs to be over-produced and too "self-consciously pop". Sean Stangland of the Daily Herald wrote "The five songs [Bowie] wrote for the film are as confoundingly diverse as the rest of his career." Derek Biederstadt of Screen Rant described Bowie's Labyrinth songs as "absolute earworms that contribute to his legacy just as much as Ziggy Stardust and all the rest."

The Labyrinth soundtrack has been included on lists of the top 50 movie soundtracks by Paste magazine and Gigwise. MovieWeb ranked Labyrinth number one on its list of the best film soundtracks of the 1980s.

Song made by…
Song Performed by: Trevor Jones

Song Written by: David Bowie and Trevor Jones

Song Produced by: David Bowie

Moment in the movie…
The instrumental form performed by Trevor Jones plays in the beginning credits of the movie of which introduces the owl that is shown throughout the movie but also is used to seg-way into meeting the main character Sarah and her dog Merlin, who are practicing lines in the park before the storm rolls in.

Song Impact…

The song helps to set the beginning tone of the movie while introducing the cast and production but is also a slow enough instrumental that helps seg-way into the beginning of the movie and adds a whimsical and fantasy effect to the foreshadowing scenes that the audience watches.

Sources…
Underground (David Bowie song) - Wikipedia

https://youtu.be/JPRh537QyVo

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ae7ziB8YiV2U9TyjSic58?si=5380cae9c3cf4a05

Song made by...
Song Performed by Trevor Jones

Song Written by: Trevor Jones

Song Produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
Sarah was just entering the Labyrinth and had a hard time deciding which way was the right way to go and if every path was a straight line. She soon met a worm named William who told her “Things are not always what they seem in this place” and soon she realized there were other ways around the labyrinth that she did not imagine before.

Song Impact…
The background synth of the song is giving an eerie feel in the beginning as though we can feel what Sarah is feeling in the moment. As the song progresses, the tempo increases to a heightened mood to show a sign of hope and foreshadowing that Sarah will make it to the Jareth’s Castle (Castle of Goblins).

Sources…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vuF6ywRb2o

https://open.spotify.com/track/1A05Tzudebpd7ZiZtVVafz?si=9c31340b8747445f

https://genius.com/Trevor-jones-into-the-labyrinth-lyrics

Song made by…
Song Performed by: David Bowie

Song Written by: David Bowie

Song Produced by: David Bowie, Trevor Jones, Arif Mardin

Moment in the movie…
The song is performed as we watch Sarah's baby brother(Toby) being held in the castle with the goblins and Jareth. The baby is continuously crying, annoying Jareth. The goblin king begins to sing the other goblins joining him, an early celebration for what they thought would be victory. As they sing Toby begins to calm down, babbling along with the singing. Mid performance we watch a cutscene of Sarah struggling to find her way through the labyrinth. She attempts to use lipstick to draw arrows so she can retrace her steps if needed. After each arrow is drawn, smaller goblins lift the stone from underneath, flipping it over so the arrow is gone. We go back to Jareth singing and dancing with Toby, mentioning how in a matter of hours Toby will be his and he will become a goblin just like the others.

Song Impact…
The song has an up-beat tune, giving the listener a feeling that this is a playful scene mixed with celebration since the goblin king was assuming that Sarah would not beat the maze in time to rescue her brother. As the song continues we watch the characters in the scene dancing and singing along. Jareth is even tossing Toby in the air and catching him, we hear Toby giggle as Jareth continues dancing with him.

Sources…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6DJmp21vcQ

https://open.spotify.com/track/4EHZ571PqEo5hH4HSegSA3?si=d516151309754d06

https://genius.com/David-bowie-magic-dance-lyrics

Song made by…
Song Performed by: David Bowie

Song Written by: David Bowie

Song Produced by: David Bowie, Trevor Jones, Arif Mardin

Song Impact…
The song Sarah is high pitched and starts off slow but then gains speed. Periodically the song drops to lower notes, giving a more serious emotion to it. The song is intended to be the theme song for the character of Sarah.

Sources…
https://open.spotify.com/track/15etXko1CfmkhGA0bdEadJ?si=747c503b23bc4d84

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nBjvElCzAw&t=10s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFTdKtI2SR4

Song made by…
Song Performed by: David Bowie

Song Written by: David Bowie and Arif Mardin

Song Produced by: David Bowie and Arif Mardin

Moment in the movie…
After Sarah knocked on the right side of the two talking door knockers, Ludo disappears by falling through the trap-door in the forest which leaves Sarah to have to move along forward. When alone, she encounters Firey’s, a group of five red fur colored manic creatures who live to have a good time and scare Sarah away after trying to remove her head like one of them did.

Song Impact…
The mystical beat adds to the magical scenery of the forest they are in. The lyrics show how much of a good time the creatures like to have by saying they like to shake their head, tap their feet and bounce around like a yo-yo. The song embodies a calm-tone to add how “chill” they are and how Sarah should “Chilly down with the fire gang.”

Sources…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0-Bc6u0x8

https://open.spotify.com/track/33cnHvf25gRxFkKI9LaSbA?si=1317bc71736042b7

https://genius.com/David-bowie-chilly-down-lyrics

Song made by…
Song Performed by: Trevor Jones

Song Written by: Trevor Jones

Song Produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
Sarah is on her way to the castle and is given a fruit by one of the goblins in the forest. Back in the castle, Jareth releases his crystal balls into the air, transforming them into bubbles. They travel to Sarah and depict another version of her living out her fantasy dreams.

Song Impact…
There is no certain melody to follow in the music, reflecting the song title. It accentuates the current scene after Sarah has eaten the fruit; she is not sure whether she truly sees what’s in front of her or if she’s hallucinating everything.

Sources…
https://youtu.be/vQHQ5kcTJrw

https://open.spotify.com/track/742eCYapIjuogqRmSY5WtD?si=b13c6ede481d4406

Song made by…
Song performed by: David Bowie

Song written by: David Bowie

Song produced by: David Bowie, Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley

Moment in the movie…
Sarah is having a dream that takes place at a masquerade ball. She appears to be lost and confused as she watches everyone else dancing and laughing. Jareth and Sarah are the only ones not wearing masks at the ball. Jareth is watching her as she walks around the room. Sarah notices Jareth and they start slow dancing together. As they dance together Sarah starts to realize that it isn’t real. She grabs a chair and shatters a mirror on the wall, causing the dream to end.

Song Impact…
The song is slow paced and makes the scene feel ominous and dark while at the same time also giving the impression of a love song. The story of the goblin king is that he fell in love with a poor girl and granted her wish of taking the child away, which is exactly what Sarah is dealing with in the movie. But as you notice how Jareth watches Sarah in this scene, it gives the impression that he does love her. A line in the lyrics also repeats “Falling in love..”, confirming the theory that Jareth loves Sarah.

Sources…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VppuD1St8Ec

https://open.spotify.com/track/2elAyF0DLb10MWj76pU6pP?si=dc28f98edc8243cc

https://genius.com/David-bowie-as-the-world-falls-down-lyrics

Song made by…
Song Performed by: Trevor Jones

Song Written by: Trevor Jones

Song Produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, and Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
Sarah finally makes it to Jareth’s Castle (Castle of Goblins) and Jareth does not want to give up Toby yet. One of the lead goblins lets Jareth know that the “girl” (Sarah) has made it with Ludo (a monster), Hoggle (a dwarf) and Sir Didymus to the gates of the castle. Jareth releases all of his goblin army to go against Sarah and her entourage.

Song Impact…
The introduction of the song starts of slow and steady then accelerates to show the adrenaline of the battle. The upbeat synth beat plays throughout the entire song to never give up hope with the goblins battling with the intruders. The trumpet fanfare shows a false triumph on the goblin side when in reality, they are losing.

Sources…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eixTH84wSo

https://open.spotify.com/track/7jGI4ebf0kGvhR9Lu4T0MN?si=de3a3df454e84e65

Song made by…
Song Performed by: David Bowie

Song Written by: David Bowie

Song Produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
Sarah is navigating through a physical form of Relativity, a seemingly endless maze of doorways and staircases. As she tries to find her way out, Jareth follows her around, taunting her by revealing her brother Toby within hand's reach but preventing her from fully grasping him. In her final attempt to grab Toby, Sarah jumps down to reach him but ends up in an infinite fall through the maze.

Song Impact…
Based on the lyrics of the song, Jareth seems to be professing his platonic devotion to Sarah. He has granted her wish for Toby to disappear and is trying to fulfill her fantasy wishes. However, Sarah's growing distance from him indicates her maturity from a child blinded by fantasies into a young adult. Her priority has been switched from getting rid of Toby to finding him and bringing him back home safely.

Sources…
https://youtu.be/MAWR12ocC1E

https://open.spotify.com/track/7e3KM7NU4FMdfSKolIJtMI?si=9dfb25acb3b54331

Song made by…
Song performed by: Trevor Jones

Song written by: Trevor Jones

Song produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
After taking a leap from Jareth’s maze of steps, Jareth comes out from the shadows as this song begins. He and Sarah have a confrontation as Sarah is trying to remember the lines from her script to recite to him. When she gets her lines right and tells Jareth he has no power over her, things suddenly snap and she returns to her home and all is seemingly normal.

1:30:52 - 12:33:37

Song Impact…
This song plays slowly in the background as Sarah is confronted and feels flustered yet confident as she says and attempts to remember the correct lines.

Sources…
https://open.spotify.com/track/2T2kaGyIDSSoo68xFUY2BM?si=d69148c5dea34591

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5x-zuSzKGs

Song made by…
Song performed by: Trevor Jones

Song written by: Trevor Jones

Song produced by: Arif Mardin, David Bowie, Trevor Jones

Moment in the movie…
After tucking Toby into bed with relief, Sarah went to her room and reverted back to her usual routine. As she was sitting by her vanity, reflecting, she caught glimpses of the friends that she made along her journey, and was still able to communicate with them.

1:34:00 - 1:35:50

Song Impact…
This song plays as Sarah is met with relief when she finds Toby safe in his crib, giving him the stuffed animal that was once hers. She sits at her vanity as her parents arrive home and all is in order, except she begins to cry when she sees visions of her friends in the mirror of her vanity and is able to speak to them still. The song moves from a slow to upbeat tempo as she goes from reflecting nostalgically to joyful when she is assured she will see her friends she made along the way again.

Sources…
https://open.spotify.com/track/3zAwgQ5uNZUCihtDk9py9U?si=f460add41168474c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tioS43maiHk

Song made by…
Song performed by: David Bowie

Song Written by: David Bowie

Song Produced by: David Bowie

Moment in the movie…
Middle of the song is used to show the ending credits of the movie; the song's original upbeat lyrics can be heard as the names of cast and procedures flash by. A contrast to the beginning rendition of the song played by composer Trever Jones in the beginning of the movie

Song Impact…
The song was meant portray to the audience an emotional understanding of Sarah and her journey through the labyrinth

Sources…
https://youtu.be/JPRh537QyVo

Underground (David Bowie song) - Wikipedia

https://open.spotify.com/track/7aWKoiVtoKemrmehUGYH0i?si=f7e4fef2f1a1405d

Personnel
Credits per biographer Nicholas Pegg.

Musicians


 * David Bowie – vocals, backing vocals, producer
 * Arif Mardin – producer
 * Trevor Jones – keyboards, producer
 * Ray Russell – lead guitar
 * Albert Collins – guitar
 * Dann Huff – guitar
 * Paul Westwood – bass guitar
 * Will Lee – bass guitar
 * Matthew Seligman – bass guitar
 * Neil Conti – drums
 * Steve Ferrone – drums
 * Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, synthesizer
 * Brian Gascoigne – keyboards
 * David Lawson – keyboards
 * Ray Warleigh – saxophone
 * Bob Gay - saxophone
 * Maurice Murphy – trumpet
 * Robin Beck – backing vocals
 * Chaka Khan – backing vocals
 * Cissy Houston – backing vocals
 * Danny John-Jules – backing vocals
 * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals
 * Luther Vandross – backing vocals